We visited Hillsboro, OR for another Oregon/Washington, Always Time for 9/McMenamins, Golf/Beer Trail adventure. The Short Course at Meriwether National Golf Course was our 9-holer of choice, but truth be told, our main destination today was the McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse.
But as always, golf comes first. If it was the other way around, who knows what my handicap would look like. Since earlier on this golf adventure we played Lewis and Clark Golf Course in Astoria, OR, I thought we would continue with that theme as we play the Short Course at Meriwether National Golf Course.
No tee times are accepted for this par 30 short course, and the staff said there is usually no wait time. As I strolled out to Hole #1, I was surprised to find I was the fourth in line (and the line was not moving quickly). I wanted to work on my short iron game, so I played from the yellow tees today, and the first hole was the longest par 3 at 185 yards.
Hole #2 – large green; par 3 (111 yards); right is bad.
Hole #3 – Par 4 (289 yards); have to be really wild to not find this fairway. Bunker right and large tree left guarding the green.
Hole #4 – Par 4, 280 yards; slight dogleg right with trees that can block your tee shot; a good (lucky) drive can shoot through these trees to the green.
Hole #5 – The only hazard at this par 3, 132 yards hole is the telephone pole and wires to the left.
Holes #6 and #7 – Par 3’s that measure 111 and 98 yards respectively. Both teeing areas start from a shoot of trees.
Hole #8 – The last par 3 is 129 yards. Bunker front right and the large green slopes precariously both left and right.
Hole #9 – On the scorecard this par 4 shows a dogleg left, but standing on the tee box you have a straight shot at the green. This 240 yard drive is your chance to “drive the green”.
Rating – Par (35 out of 60): The positives: price; rate of play; nice overall facility – there is an 18-hole course; a small 19th hole; and a good staff. The negatives: the condition of this short course was poor.
But now for our own 19th hole at McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse. This location is one of my favorites. As they say, “Come where the ales are cold, the fires are blazing, and the farmhouse beckons for yesteryear”. It’s home to a restaurant at Imbrie Hall named after the family that settled this site in the 1840’s; a brewery; and a distillery that sits in an old granary barn built in the 1850’s. If you are looking for a unique 19th hole experience, this would be the place to visit.
5200 SW Rood Bridge Rd., Hillsboro, OR 97123; 503-648-4143; www.meriwethergolfclub.com
